When I hit the big four oh, I found that my body started to fall apart one piece at a time. My warranty had expired and there was No Extended Warranty available! This is the story of my struggle to keep it all together using spare parts and baling twine.

Monday, February 21, 2011

New Medication For Pain

Sinus Tachycardia?

Went to my PCP this afternoon to talk about better pain control and my problems with shortness of breath. My pulse rate was over 120 bpm and my blood pressure was quite elevated. I was not surprised as I did not make it to work today because The Legs and the pelvic pain was terrible. The pain was so bad I could not hardly tolerate driving because I had to push the pedals: I wished I had a car with hand controls.

Per my PCP the shortness of breath is most likely from the elevated heart rate which is aggravated by the elevated blood pressure which all come from elevated pain levels. I told him the problems I am having with dilaudid - primarily hives and extreme nausea, and after three days The Headache wakes up. I had the same problems with oxycontin, oxycodone, hydrocodone, hydrocodeine, and trammadol. He decided we should try Fentanyl time release dermal patches. I told him I don't have good luck with pain killers so please give me the lowest dose possible. He said this will bypass my digestive system, hopefully causing less nausea, and I had taken this drug in ER settings without any hiving so hopefully I will not have any allergic reactions.

The dosage prescribed is 12 mcg/hr which is the lowest dose made. My pharmacy had to special order it probably because most people need HUGE doses. I just want to tip the pain scales in my favor, not drive my brain to la la land, although after a day like today la la land sounds pretty great! I guess I will see what its like after I get the prescription. Apparently each patch lasts three days which is just enough time to know if The Headache is going to object or not.

I told my PCP my goal is to reduce the pain enough that I can function but not in a drugged manner. He said his goal is to get my pain consistently down to about a 4 on a 10 point pain scale (Distressing pain: Strong, deep pain, like an average toothache, the initial pain from a bee sting, or minor trauma to part of the body, such as stubbing your toe real hard. So strong you notice the pain all the time and cannot completely adapt) from the level eight (utterly horrible) it has been at for a while.

My PCP also asked if I was having weakness. I said I felt weak but I was able to walk. I told him I could not tell if I really was having increased weakness or I was just having aversion to pain. Lately it has been hard to tell. When driving today it really hurt so bad to accelerate the car using the peddles that I couldn't make myself drive for 45 minutes. My willpower is waning or my get up and go has already got up and went without me. Ready for this episode in my life to be OVER.

The Headache is not playing well this evening. I am looking forward to another sleepless night. It is throbbing and thrumming with pain. Maybe the elevated blood pressure has something to do with it. Sigh.

I have a specialist appointment tomorrow I may have to cancel. I don't know if I can drive myself there with the pain the way it is, and I definitely don't know if I should drive anywhere when I try using the fentanyl patch. It is my endocrinologist and I am sure I can reschedule if needed.

With so many narcotics floating around here I am glad I invested in a safe to keep these scheduled narcotics in. Temptation is a situation I don't like subjecting other people to, just leads to disappointment and resentment if someone succumbs.

Jessica: Better safe (pun intended) than sorry. That also means kids can't get into them, or pets, or random visitors. I think of it sorta like having a loaded gun. Don't want it where anyone can get hurt with it or use it to hurt someone else or sell it.

I took phenergan this morning, initially it sorta made me sick at my stomach, but combined with pain meds made me sleepy too.

I am not having the nausea or hives I was having with dilaudid. The pain control is not quite as good but by this evening I felt like I was OK to drive a car or work, so BONUS!